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Date13/08/2018Hits17,008

CategoryMotorsports

Paul Di Resta claims win number three at his home race as the DTM returns to Brands Hatch

- Paul Di Resta produced a flawless performance to win Sunday's DTM race at Brands Hatch. In doing so, the Scottish Mercedes-Benz driver closed to within 29 points of fellow Mercedes-Benz man and championship leader Gary Paffett, who finished runner-up. The DTM and premium tyre maker Hankook Tire returned to the iconic English circuit, located 30 kilometres southeast of London, after a five-year absence and spectators were treated to a display of exciting and spectacular motorsport. The race tyre supplied by exclusive DTM partner Hankook Tire once again impressed at the undulating circuit in the county of Kent, providing a high level of consistency and offering a host of different race strategies for each driver.

Brands Hatch/England, 12th August 2018 - Paul Di Resta started Sunday's race from second on the grid. After a lightning-quick start, the Mercedes-Benz driver overtook the Mercedes-Benz of pole-sitter Gary Paffett to move to the front of the field. The Scot came in for his mandatory pit stop on lap nine and comfortably held onto his lead through to the finish on the second set of tyres. This was Di Resta's third win in Brands Hatch and the tenth of his DTM career. Gary Paffett crossed the finish line as runner-up after 40 laps of racing and now leads Di Resta by 29 points in the overall standings.

Reigning DTM champion René Rast produced a strong performance. The Audi driver fell away from the leading pair at one point but, aided by the consistently quick Hankook Tire race tyres, fought his way back into contention in the final third of the race, eventually finishing just 1.376 seconds back in third place. Two-time DTM champion Marco Wittmann was the best-placed BMW driver in fifth. This result was sufficient for Wittmann to climb into third place in the Drivers' Championship.

Manfred Sandbichler, Hankook Tire Motorsport Director Europe: “That was a good advertisement for motorsport. We had a spectacular race weekend at Brands Hatch, which showed the strength in depth in the DTM. Paul Di Resta finished 16th on Saturday, then went on to win on Sunday. Tiny details have a big effect on the result and make all the difference between a place on the podium and finishing in the top ten. The Hankook Tire race tyre, with its strong performance, is an important constant for all the drivers, who can rely on the Ventus Race in any situation out on the track.

BMW Team RMG completed the fastest pit stop of the race weekend at Brands Hatch, with a time of 33.063 seconds. This earned them 25 points towards the overall standings in the Hankook Tire Best Pit Stop Award.

Paul Di Resta (Mercedes-Benz): “The tyre is the link to the track, and that link has to be perfect if you want to finish on the podium in the DTM. I am very happy with the way we worked together with the Hankook Tire race tyre today. It was perfect.”

Gary Paffett (Mercedes-Benz): “We thought we might have issues with the tyres at this difficult circuit, but the very opposite turned out to be the case. The Hankook Tire race tyre performed superbly on the cooler track today. The grip level remained consistently high throughout the entire race distance. Viewed across the whole weekend, the Hankook Tires were perfect at Brands Hatch.”

René Rast (Audi): “The Hankook Tire race tyres lasted very well today. They had an ideal level of grip right through to the final lap, which allowed me to bridge the gap to the two Mercedes-Benz ahead of me. I am very happy with today and third place.”